CEF 2 Transport - Actions related to smart and interoperable mobility – General envelope

Objective : Virtual Centres The objective of the demonstrations under this topic is to address the issue of the lack of flexibility in sector configuration capabilities at pan-European level clearly highlighted by the airspace architecture study. This lack of flexibility is caused by the close coupling of ATM service provision to ATS systems and operational procedures, preventing air traffic from making use of cross-border service provision and data sharing. A more flexible use of external data services, taking into account data properties and access rights, would allow the infrastructure to be rationalised, reducing the related costs. This would enable data-sharing, foster more dynamic airspace management and ATS provision, and allow Air Traffic Service Units (ATSUs) to improve capacity in portions of airspace where traffic demand exceeds available capacity. Furthermore, it offers options for the contingency of operations and increased resilience of ATS provision. Cost-efficiency. Virtualisation in support of delegation of the provision of ATSs among ATSUs will have an impact on Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) capabilities in terms of resource management at both staffing and facilities level (cost optimisation). Capacity/resilience. More manoeuvring margin on resources management by the ANSP will lead to a better use of spare capacity (fewer demand measures required). More dynamic airspace management will contribute to improving capacity while responding with flexibility to airspace users’ flight trajectory needs. Environment. The delegation of the provision of ATSs among ATSUs, for both cross-border and non-cross-border cases, will make ATS provision more seamless, as load balancing between ATSUs and avoidance of airspace or ATS provision disruptions will allow Airspace Users (AUs) to fly more efficient trajectories. The Digital Sky Demonstrators will help to increase buy-in from the ATM community to SESAR Solutions and will provide further evidence to support the business case for them. The Digital Sky Demonstrator instrument will provide a basis for achieving a critical mass of early movers, thus accelerating market uptake, facilitating the industrialisation process for SESAR solutions and promoting their deployment. All stakeholders will have an opportunity to learn and exchange practical expertise related to the introduction of SESAR solutions. Scope : To successfully address the expected outcomes, all or some of the following priorities should be addressed: Demonstration of a new Air Traffic Service (ATS) operating model based on the delegation of ATS using virtual centres (VC). The objective is to demonstrate the increased efficiency and resilience of the ATS thanks to better use of resources across ATSU borders; the scope includes the following elements. Delegation of ATS among ATSUs based on traffic/organisation needs (either static on fixed-time transfer schedule (e.g. day/night) or dynamic e.g. when the traffic density is below/above a certain level) or on contingency needs. ATFCM aspects in support of the delegation of ATS, including the interaction with the Network Manager (NM) on dynamic sectorisation and flow allocation. This may include the dynamic delegation of ATS provision for load balancing (ATFCM), cross-border rostering concepts, etc. The delegation of the ATFCM service provision between ATSUs may also be considered. Civil–military aspects of delegation of ATSs (e.g. delegation of ATS provision between civil and military ATSUs). The digitalisation of ATC systems enables virtualisation approaches in which remote operations become an important contributor to resource pooling and rationalisation. Civil–military ATSUs will be able to delegate the airspace to another ATSU as long as there is guarantee of seamless ATS provision in the delegated airspace. Virtual control centres allow for more efficient and flexible use of resources, with civil–military synergies. The Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) rece